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The Calm Before the Chaos

Fifteen Years Later...

The day Serena Ellison made a rental car reservation for her Maui trip, she had envisioned driving around the island looking very much like a local with a Hawaii license plate that displayed a beautiful rainbow in the background.

However, when she picked up the rental, her eyes immediately connected to disappointment which was the bright yellow Arizona license plate on the tropical island. She took a look around the parking lot and noticed she was surrounded by a sea of rentals with rainbow-themed license plates.

Just her luck, she thought.

She sighed as she dejectedly opened the driver's side door and threw her purse onto the driver's seat. No use getting down about something as trivial as a license plate, she thought as she rolled her large suitcase to the back of the vehicle. Her best friend would have grounded her quickly by reminding her that small issues like these would be seen as first-world problems so she couldn't really complain, after all, she was in paradise.

As she struggled to hoist the large pink vintage-style case into the trunk of the car her ungrateful side quickly made another cameo by reminding her she was on this beautiful island by herself. Her mind sourly drifted to her most recent failed dalliance with a horse breeder two towns over from Apple Bay.

The problem with dating people in small towns was that they couldn't plan an escape because they were too invested in their livelihood to get away. Sure, when it was time for planning, they were all gung-ho about the escape but as the time for a getaway commitment neared suddenly either foals were due, or a massive shipment of hay was going to be delivered, or it was time to shoe the horses.

When the suitcase finally slid inside the vehicle's designated storage compartment Serena slammed the trunk shut with satisfaction but noticed she was a bit out of breath. She walked to the driver's side, grabbed her purse and slid her body into the driver's seat. She pulled out the cell phone and set the GPS to lead her to the resort she was going to be staying in for the next six days.

She booked a nice romantic room which she had hoped to share with Wesley Montgomery, alas, it wasn't meant to be. He had asked her to postpone the trip by a month and promised to make it up to her. Unfortunately, she had been on that ride before with Clint Jameson and Javier Mendoza.

Ranchers, farmers, animal breeders, she'd dated them all and she knew very well what that meant - later really meant never.

They always expected her to wait patiently while they took care of their business but she was always ultimately forgotten on the backburner, burnt to a crisp and seething with anger.

She supposed she would be more understanding after she opened the local diner that once belonged to Goose and Midge Jones. The elderly couple owned the Apple Bay Inn and the Apple Bay Diner but as time progressed and Apple Bay became more of a quaint tourist attraction due to the postcard-worthy scenery reminiscent of Thomas Kincaid art, they decided to sell the diner for the sake of spending more time together overlooking the inn.

The aging couple never had kids of their own so it made sense that they would want to look over the comfort of those that came into town for a few days of rest before going back to their busy lives.

As for the diner, Serena had used the inheritance her father left her when he passed away. Since she was just eight when he perished, her mother had the foresight to invest the funds and thankfully the investments had paid off spectacularly. After getting a little wanderlust out of her system, Serena decided to purchase the diner and convert it into a coffee and dessert shop similar to a tea shop she had seen on a trip she had taken abroad to North Yorkshire, England.

She had spent the last year renovating the diner and getting the proper permits and finding phenomenal staff to help bring her vision to life. The espresso machines had been installed, tried and tested, the front-of-the-house staff had been hired.

She was waiting for the bone china dinnerware she had meticulously searched for to be delivered and then they would be able to open. Although she knew her presence was likely needed at the looming business to oversee last-minute details, Serena had a strong feeling this was probably going to be her last chance for a vacation in a while, so she opted to go with her instincts.

Serena pulled the rental car into the resort's parking lot in Lahaina. It was just past six in the evening local time, but her body was already feeling the six-hour time difference.

Serena packed Benadryl to ensure she would get some quality sleep tonight almost as soon as her head hit the pillow and then starting tomorrow, she would take advantage of her time in paradise.

She pulled into valet and was thankful when the young man that came for the car offered to help with the large suitcase.

As she rolled luggage towards the hotel, she heard the sound of beating drums filling the cool, breezy evening. She definitely had a luau in her itinerary but not tonight. As Serena was checking in, she noticed a coffee shop in the lobby. Once she had the key card in hand, she made a beeline towards the coffee shop for bottled water before taking the elevator to her seventh-floor room.

Not wasting a moment, she quickly dropped her suitcase on the floor, pulling out the Benadryl, a flimsy gray cotton T-shirt she loved wearing to bed and her oral hygiene travel kit.

After taking care of the bedtime routine, she asked her phone assistant to set an alarm for seven in the morning and took the Benadryl.

Without bothering to shut the curtains or peeling the bedcovers back, Serena dropped herself on the large soft mattress, placing a pillow between her knees and hugging another.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

As she had for the past fifteen years, her last conscious thoughts filled with her childhood crush, Paul MacKenzie. She sent a quick plea to the heavens that wherever he was, he was safe and hopefully happy. Her heart always broke a little knowing he was likely married with a family of his own by now.

For some reason, she always thought he was meant to be hers.

She sighed sadly one last time before sleep claimed her.

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